Overlooked: MaG’s “freedom” (Album Review) Posted by Dharmic X on 01/21/13 | Filed under Opinion, Album Reviews, Overlooked, MaG

A Note from Nathan S: So much new music comes out every week I can't possibly keep up with it all, even only the RefinedHype worthy-material. So the homie Dharmic X is going to be shining a spotlight on some dope albums that got "Overlooked".

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MaG is an emcee from The Bronx who devoted the last three years towards crafting a follow up to his last project, "I Ain’t Goin’ Back to Retail!" The RefinedHype nation got a glimpse into his thought process behind the release last week. But still, the question remains: is the music as sincere as the person?

Not only is "freedom" a sincere body of work, it is a lyrically and conceptually dense album. Take the intro track, “hello, goodnight.” for example. Three minutes of MaG spilling out the intimacy of his life produces quotables such as “I need a bullet like Cobain pull it/ put my pain to it / no Medicaid/ co-pay do it/ it’s cocaine music.” It’s like we’re taking a train ride through the scattered thoughts going through the emcee’s brain, in a manner that is reminiscent of Homeboy Sandman. “besties” sees MaG talk about his inspirations that fuel him to better heights while touching upon the weak mentalities that bring others around him down. “Mistreat you for the sake of it/” The Bronx emcee says, “shoot you for the shake of it/ guns and lost graves/ dropouts who cop out/ to misdemeanors/ felonies/ bad parents and low grades/ you a slave/ you a coon/ what they taught you?”

The album is not entirely depressing and somber in tone. The title track is as liberating in subject matter as the name implies, with MaG opening the song off rapping “Feeling like Afeni on a picket line/ picking lines/ bars sweeter than a Clementine/ pitching pine/ getting money/ yeah my writing fine.” The point behind “freedom” is to liberate the mind; not confining it to arbitrary societal standards. On “This is the Life,” The Bronx-repper describes a state of internal satisfaction that comes with the grind of being an unheralded indy rapper: “don’t need to be Jordan/ just a good Scottie Pippen/ rapping is my job/ Hip-Hop is my religion/ the difference is the distance/ bring a shovel if you dig it.”

While one could argue that the subject matter of this rap album is the rapping itself, for MaG, rap is life, and freedom. is MaG describing his life in its rawest form, from his vivid descriptions down to the minutia, such as his constant name dropping of Tiff, who seems to be his fiance.

Sonically, this is not an album that can be pigeonholed into a box, perhaps to its detriment. It’s not the 808s and claps that is currently defining a mainstream rap sound, but at the same time, it is not exactly the hard boom-bap that some old-school hip-hop heads--especially those in New York City--gravitate to. It is rich in its melody, noted more for the timbre of the flutes and other instruments that fill the song between the drumlines (which never dominate a song throughout the album). The power is drawn to the words at every step down this journey to freedom. This is not an indictment on the producers who put together this album; in fact, on the contrary, guys such as Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Astronote, and King-I-Divine (“hello, goodnight,” “black excellence,” and “paper airplanes,” respectfully) do an incredible job augmenting the vocals in a smooth manner. Meanwhile, features are kept to a minimum; the only rap feature is the underrated Tre Dejean who comes correct with his verse on “americana,” arguably one of the highlights off freedom.

Ultimately, this is not an album for everyone. "freedom." focuses on the finer details of music, especially when it comes to its sound. But simultaneously, this is a very personal album, and upon hearing a man spit his life out over eleven tracks, you have to feel him. A solid, cohesive project from start to finish, and worth a listen if one is in the mood to vibe or to think.

See Also: Overlooked: 9th Wonder’s “Black American Gangster” (Album Review)

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